Desi Arnaz comes home to Monday on CBS, directly following The Lucy Show!

Meet Desi Carbajal, retired band leader and current owner of a Latin music radio station in New York. Newly divorced, he works hard to support his only son, Carlos, who inherited his father's talent, way with women and temperament (and his mother's way with money).

Also on board is Desi's grouchy but lovable war buddy, Bill. A recent widower, Bill now rents a room in Desi's house, as do his two adult daughters, buxom good-time gals Sadie and Ramona. Bill largely spends his days watching baseball and celebrating the demise of his miserable old battleaxe Louise, all the while hoping the girls will eventually get out of his (little remaining) hair and land themselves a couple of wealthy fellas. Sadie and Ramona, for their part, set their sights high but inevitably have to lower them considerably in order to get anywhere. Having a burning desire to break into show business as well, they never miss an opportunity to woo Desi into getting them on the radio, which always leads to hilarious results.

Though by-and-large the only sane member of the group, constantly rolling his eyes and crying "Ai yi yi!" at the mayhem he encounters at home and at work, Desi's no slouch at joining in on the fun when the occasion allows, like the memorable episode where he and Bill take a disastrous crack at installing a second toilet under the stairs (the girls are always occupying the upstairs powder room, putting on new faces).

The second season sees the addition of Kaye Ballard as Patricia "Pat" Meaney, whom Desi hires to manage the station for him. Their vastly different approaches to business creates a certain degree of tension, but underneath it all a true friendship forms. Fortunately, Pat's outspoken religious beliefs were never a bone of contention for Desi, but were harder for Bill to come to terms with ("Meaney is a Moonie! Meaney is a Moonie!").

This season also sees a more steady stream of one-off girlfriends for Desi, played by the likes of Gloria Blondell, Ann Sothern, Carole Cook, Doris Singleton, Mary Jane Croft and Vanda Barra (DESI: "And people say they have trouble understanding MY accent!"), though only Edith Hirsch becomes recurring.

Frawley's decision to leave the series in 1965 - to fulfill a lifelong dream of selling hotdogs at Yankee Stadium - brings about a major format change. Having sold the radio station, Desi moves back to Cuba, dumps Carlos off at Havana U (never to be heard from again) and reconnects with childhood friend Caesar Valdez. The two of them set up their own rum factory and are soon raking in the dough. Coincidentally, Pat Meaney arrives in Havana at the same time as Desi, on a goodwill mission for the Unification Church. After one sip of rum, she decides this is the only religion she'll ever need from now on, ditches the Moonies and sets up shop with the boys. With the change to color upping the ratings considerably - and the new premise allowing for considerably more patented drunk bits - the show runs for another three laugh-filled seasons.

Celebrating the popularity of their characters on The Desi Show, Desi Arnaz gives the Borden twins their own spinoff after his series switches formats. The pilot finds Sadie and Ramona rolling in it after their father (guest star William Frawley, in his farewell appearance as Bill Baisley) hits the jackpot in Atlantic City. Keeping half of the winnings in order to retire to Florida, he gives the other half to the girls, telling them to head out west and make it big. They pack up their things, board a bus to California and immediately start living glamorous new Hollywood lives.

Unfortunately, their lavish spending on fine dining, clothes and Chippendales eats through a sizable amount of the winnings after only a month, forcing the girls to start economizing. They move out of their swanky new apartment and into the less-than-chic dwelling of their stern Aunt Hazel, former prison matron and Bill's only sister, who's just like their father in attitude and appearance. Not having any patience for freeloading, Hazel orders the girls to work immediately.

Fortune smiles upon them at last, however, when their enthusiastic rendition of "Ricochet Romance" snags them jobs as chorus girls (later headliners) at a little nightclub in West Hollywood, run by the outrageous and eccentric Nadine Plunkett. Though a tough nut to crack at first, Nadine grows very fond of Sadie and Ramona. However, she hides behind the bar whenever Hazel drops by to watch the girls perform, given Nadine's sordid past may have seen her run afoul of a certain prison warden. In addition to singing for their supper as they always dreamed of, the girls also set their eyes on bashful bartender Ernie, each determined to snag him by her feather boa. Though they only view the nightclub gig as temporary, and do manage to land other showbiz jobs here and there, it ultimately becomes a second home for them and they're never off the bill for the entire duration of the series.

Watch out for special appearances by Paul Lynde and William Lanteau as kookie talent scouts, whom Sadie and Ramona are always trying to manipulate with their womanly wiles (with no luck, for some reason); Vivian Vance as retired showgirl "La Va Va Viv," who's been around the block many times and has plenty of advice for the twins; Imogene Coca as Gertrude "Gertie" Dudd, Sadie and Ramona's ineffectual agent; and yearly visits from Lucille Ball as a fictional version of herself, who's always on the verge of giving the girls guest spots on her own show - until Janos Prohaska's schedule clears and she goes ahead with another gorilla episode.

Celebrating the popularity of their characters on The Desi Show, Desi Arnaz gives the Borden twins their own spinoff after his series switches formats. The pilot finds Sadie and Ramona rolling in it after their father (guest star William Frawley, in his farewell appearance as Bill Baisley) hits the jackpot in Atlantic City. Keeping half of the winnings in order to retire to Florida, he gives the other half to the girls, telling them to head out west and make it big. They pack up their things, board a bus to California and immediately start living glamorous new Hollywood lives.

Unfortunately, their lavish spending on fine dining, clothes and Chippendales eats through a sizable amount of the winnings after only a month, forcing the girls to start economizing. They move out of their swanky new apartment and into the less-than-chic dwelling of their stern Aunt Hazel, former prison matron and Bill's only sister, who's just like their father in attitude and appearance. Not having any patience for freeloading, Hazel orders the girls to work immediately.

Fortune smiles upon them at last, however, when their enthusiastic rendition of "Ricochet Romance" snags them jobs as chorus girls (later headliners) at a little nightclub in West Hollywood, run by the outrageous and eccentric Nadine Plunkett. Though a tough nut to crack at first, Nadine grows very fond of Sadie and Ramona. However, she hides behind the bar whenever Hazel drops by to watch the girls perform, given Nadine's sordid past may have seen her run afoul of a certain prison warden. In addition to singing for their supper as they always dreamed of, the girls also set their eyes on bashful bartender Ernie, each determined to snag him by her feather boa. Though they only view the nightclub gig as temporary, and do manage to land other showbiz jobs here and there, it ultimately becomes a second home for them and they're never off the bill for the entire duration of the series.

Watch out for special appearances by Paul Lynde and William Lanteau as kookie talent scouts, whom Sadie and Ramona are always trying to manipulate with their womanly wiles (with no luck, for some reason); Vivian Vance as retired showgirl "La Va Va Viv," who's been around the block many times and has plenty of advice for the twins; Imogene Coca as Gertrude "Gertie" Dudd, Sadie and Ramona's ineffectual agent; and yearly visits from Lucille Ball as a fictional version of herself, who's always on the verge of giving the girls guest spots on her own show - until Janos Prohaska's schedule clears and she goes ahead with another gorilla episode.

I love your well-thought out premise and plotlines. And your casting! Superb!!

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Brian, you really missed your calling!! These are brilliant! And to have "woven in" so many familiar plot points, characters, etc. etc. -- even managing to work in -- unless it was coincidental, though I doubt it! -- LB's penchant (for superstitious reasons, as I recall) for working in the "(C/)AR" as part of Desi's character's last name!!!

You really are very, very clever and boy Hollywood sure could use someone like you!!

1

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Another sitcom idea for Desi: "The Husbands-In-Law" in which Desi and Gary Morton play fictionalized versions of themselves as the ex-husbands of the most powerful woman in show business. The unlikely odd couple move into a GlenHall apartment together (after Mrs. Golddapper retires to Florida) to save expenses, each trying to court their ex back into the marriage saddle. TV Guide ad blurb "Cuban Meets Reuben!". The ex-wife, now head of a major television production studio, is often mentioned but never seen. Running gag: Desi mispronouncing Gary's name as Barry Norton (as payback for all those Mrs. McGillicuddy Michie/Ricky years). In the pilot, Gary is fired then divorced after his wife finds out how much he spent on that 3/4 size miniature Europe set, which stands unused until she destroys it in an episode of her TV show entitled "The Fixer Goes to Europe".

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Another sitcom idea for Desi: "The Husbands-In-Law" in which Desi and Gary Morton play fictionalized versions of themselves as the ex-husbands of the most powerful woman in show business. The unlikely odd couple move into a GlenHall apartment together (after Mrs. Golddapper retires to Florida) to save expenses, each trying to court their ex back into the marriage saddle. TV Guide ad blurb "Cuban Meets Reuben!". The ex-wife, now head of a major television production studio, is often mentioned but never seen. Running gag: Desi mispronouncing Gary's name as Barry Norton (as payback for all those Mrs. McGillicuddy Michie/Ricky years). In the pilot, Gary is fired then divorced after his wife finds out how much he spent on that 3/4 size miniature Europe set, which stands unused until she destroys it in an episode of her TV show entitled "The Fixer Goes to Europe".

This could ONLY run on NBC.

This is too funny. Excellent idea!

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Though Ardapper Productions has failed to get a single sitcom pilot idea past the concept stage, Desi and Gary are telling their mothers they're big Hollywood producers. When both mothers arrive for a visit at the same time, Gary and Desi keep them in separate rooms and trade off posing as each other's butlers. To top it off, neither has informed their mother they're divorced. It's been a while since either mother has seen the ex, so Gary and Desi enlist the help of a contestant in their former wife's Lookalike Contest and hire her to pose as their happy spouse.

Share on other sites

Though Ardapper Productions has failed to get a single sitcom pilot idea past the concept stage, Desi and Gary are telling their mothers they're big Hollywood producers. When both mothers arrive for a visit at the same time, Gary and Desi keep them in separate rooms and trade off posing as each other's butlers. To top it off, neither has informed their mother they're divorced. It's been a while since either mother has seen the ex, so Gary and Desi enlist the help of a contestant in their former wife's Lookalike Contest and hire her to pose as their happy spouse.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Brian, you really missed your calling!! These are brilliant! And to have "woven in" so many familiar plot points, characters, etc. etc. -- even managing to work in -- unless it was coincidental, though I doubt it! -- LB's penchant (for superstitious reasons, as I recall) for working in the "(C/)AR" as part of Desi's character's last name!!!

You really are very, very clever and boy Hollywood sure could use someone like you!!

Yes, I deliberately picked Carbajal because of the AR connection, and it's resemblance to Carmichael